1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shutter device of a camera with which a soft focusing photography can be carried out.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
In a market is sold a cheap camera, in which a photo film can be changed and a focus mechanism and an exposure mechanism are omitted. Further, as a type of the cheap camera, a lens-fitted photo film unit is widely known, which includes a simple photographic mechanism and in which the filmstrip is previously loaded in producing process. The lens-fitted photo film unit can be used only once, and when a user thereof provides it to a photofinisher without removing the filmstrip, he can obtain a processed filmstrip and photo prints.
Such a sort of the camera has a simple structure to be produced in a low cost. For example, a fixed focus type of a taking lens is used, which is constructed of one or two lens elements, and a hitting type of the shutter device is used. In the hitting type, a swingable shutter blade is hit by a release lever, and thereafter swung back by bias of a spring.
As a method of portrait photography, there is a soft focusing photograph. When a soft focusing photograph is designated with use of a normal camera, a filter for the soft focusing photograph is provided in front of a taking lens of the normal camera. By making the soft focusing photograph, a small part of an incident light into the taking lens irregularly reflects to form a portrait image whose outlines of objects are reproduced in a suitably smaller sharpness.
In the normal camera in which the focusing can be made, outlines in the image are adequately softened with the filter for the soft focusing photography. However, an inexpensive camera includes a taking lens of a fixed focus, which is likely to form a certain image out of focus. If the soft focusing filter is combined with the fixed-focus camera, an out-of-focus image may be recorded also with softened portions at smaller sharpness, to result in an unacceptable photograph. If good image quality is intended at a low cost, no soft focusing photography is available.
An object of the present invention is to provide a shutter device capable of soft focusing photography even in a camera, in which a fixed focus type of a taking lens is loaded.
In order to achieve the object and the other objects, a shutter device of the present invention that is loaded in a camera, has a movable hitting member and a swingable shutter blade for opening and closing a shutter opening. When the shutter blade is hit by the hitting member moving in response to a photographic operation to swing in a first direction, the shutter opening is exposed. In an aperture stop plate, a stop opening for the shutter opening is formed. In a stop position in which the stop opening covers a part of the shutter opening, the hitting member hits the stop plate after swing of the shutter blade, so the stop plate swings in the first direction.
When the shutter opening is entirely exposed, the stop opening formed in the stop plate is disposed on the shutter blade. On the shutter blade a ridge portion is formed for receiving the stop plate. Further, the shutter blade is biased in a second direction opposite to the first direction by a first spring. After entire exposure of the shutter opening, the shutter blade swings in the second direction and closes the shutter opening while the ridge portion presses the stop plate.
The stop plate is biased in the second direction by a second spring and kept in the stop position by a retention pin provided in a side in the second direction of the stop plate. When the retention pin is moved, the stop plate biased by the second spring shifts toward a retracted position in the second direction. In the retracted position the stop plate is retracted from the shutter opening.
Further, the camera having the shutter device includes a flash device and a sync switch for actuating the flash device. When the shutter blade retracts from the stop opening, the shutter blade turns the sync switch ON and actuates the flash device.
According to the camera in which the shutter device of the present invention is loaded, as the shutter blade and the stop plate are sequentially swung by the hitting member which shifts responding to photographic operation, a sharp image formed through the small stop and a slightly softened image formed through a fully open stop are synthesized in a frame. Therefore, the soft focusing photography adequate to the portrait photograph can be performed without adjustment of focus.
Further, as the flashlight is emitted during the exposure through the small stop, the image with sharp outlines is adequately formed in the exposure through the small stop, in which exposure amount would be sometimes not enough.